LIZARD CNEMIDOPHORUS PERPLEXUS — IVIASLIN, ET AL. 335 



excursions with this eminent scientist, Gambel, at 18, was encouraged 

 to attempt a trip to the West, penetrating the only portion of this new 

 country which Nuttall had not himself visited, namely the Southwest. 



Today, Gambel is most well known for making the first collections 

 of plants from the Santa Fe, N. Mex., region and for his observations 

 on and collections of birds from this frontier country of the 1840's. 

 However, he also acquired a small collection of reptiles, including the 

 designated type of Cnetnidophorus perplexus and the following: 

 Holbrookia texana (USNM 2787), Sceloporus graciosus (USNM 2861), 

 Phrynosoma modestum (USNM 176), Crotaphytus wislizeni (USNM 

 2722), Heterodon nasicus nasicus (USNM 1277), Masticopkis taeniatus 

 (USNM 1979), and Thamnophis elegans vagrans (USNM 908). 



Because Gambel published on the bu*ds and Nuttall published on 

 Gambel's plant collections for the Academy of Natural Sciences of 

 Philadelphia, accurate information is available with respect to locali- 

 ties and dates for these specimens. With respect to the reptiles, how- 

 ever, no study of the material was ever published by Gambel or his 

 immediate colleagues; consequently, collection details are vague. 

 Baird and Girard (1852, p. 128) note that the specimens of Cnemi- 

 dophorus perplexus were collected on Gambel's "last journey to Cali- 

 fornia." In Yarrow's (1882) catalog, Gambel's several species are for 

 the most part designated as having been collected in "Calif." The 

 only specific locality is that given for Phrynosoma modestum. Yarrow 

 (1882) cites this specimen (USNM 175) as coming from "Plaenis." 

 No such place can be located in the territories through which Gambel 

 passed and it seems likely that Yarrow misread a label in making this 

 notation. Cope (1900, p. 439) cites the same specimen as coming from 

 the "plains," presumably of eastern New Mexico. In order to reach 

 some decision on the collection locality, especially of Cnemidophorus 

 'perplexus, it is necessary to scrutinize more closely the two western 

 trips of Gambel. 



The first, in 1841, embarked upon undoubtedly at the behest of 

 Thomas Nuttall, followed in general outline the Santa Fe Trail from 

 Independence to Santa Fe and the Old Spanish Trail from that com- 

 munity to California. The second expedition, which culminated in 

 Gambel's death, followed tlie eastern portion of the Oregon Trail from 

 Independence to Wyoming and the Hudspeth Trail over Hastings 

 Cut-OfT through Nevada to California. This latter trip was in 1849. 



Despite suggestions to the contrary in the literature, especially 

 Baird and Girard (1852), it is implausible that any of Gambel's extant 

 collections were from the second trip, either from California or en 

 route. Indeed, it is most unlikely that any specimen material Gambel 

 might have collected on this trip was ever returned to the East, due to 

 the circumstances described below. 



